2,730 research outputs found
A new player in cartilage homeostasis: adiponectin induces nitric oxide synthase type II and pro-inflammatory cytokines in chondrocytes
SummaryObjectiveRecent studies revealed a close connection between adipose tissue, adipokines and articular degenerative inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA). The goal of this work was to investigate the activity of adiponectin in human and murine chondrocytes and to study its functional role in the modulation of nitric oxide synthase type II (NOS2). For completeness, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, MMP-3, MMP-9, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), leukotriene B4 (LTB4), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF)-α and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) accumulation have been evaluated in adiponectin-stimulated chondrocytes cell culture supernatants.MethodsMurine ATDC5 cell line, C28/I2, C20A4, TC28a2 human immortalized chondrocytes, and human cultured chondrocytes were used. Nitrite accumulation was determined by Griess reaction. Adiponectin receptors (AdipoRs) expression was evaluated by immunofluorescence microscopy and confirmed by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. NOS2 expression was evaluated by Western blot analysis whereas cytokines, prostanoids and metalloproteinases production was evaluated by specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.ResultsHuman and murine chondrocytes express functional AdipoRs. Adiponectin induces NOS2. This effect is inhibited by aminoguanidine, dexamethasone and by a selective inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase. In addition, adiponectin is able to increase IL-6, MMP-3, MMP-9 and MCP-1 by murine cultured chondrocytes whereas it was unable to modulate TNF-α, IL-1β, MMP-2, TIMP-1, PGE2 and LTB4 release.ConclusionsThese results bind more closely the interactions between fat-derived adipokines and articular inflammatory diseases, and suggest that adiponectin is a novel key element in the maintenance of cartilage homeostasis which might be considered as a potential therapeutical target in joint degenerative diseases
The problem of interpretation in vignette methodology in research with young people
In this paper we explore how interpretation is dealt with by researchers using a vignette methodology. Researchers using vignette methodology often struggle with interpretation: how to interpret the responses when participants shift between discussing the vignettes as themselves, taking the perspective of the character in the vignette and commenting on what ‘ought’ to happen. We argue that by foregrounding a consideration of the method with an explicitly articulated theoretical position of dialogicality, issues inherent in interpretation become a valuable addition to the research rather than an obstacle to be overcome. In the paper we discuss ‘Louise’ a young carer, detailing the various positions she takes in her talk about the vignette of Mary, a fictitious young carer, to illustrate how a perspective based in dialogical theory contributed to the analysis of her various moves through different identity positions
LAGOVirtual: A Collaborative Environment for the Large Aperture GRB Observatory
We present the LAGOVirtual Project: an ongoing project to develop platform to
collaborate in the Large Aperture GRB Observatory (LAGO). This continental-wide
observatory is devised to detect high energy (around 100 GeV) component of
Gamma Ray Bursts, by using the single particle technique in arrays of Water
Cherenkov Detectors (WCD) at high mountain sites (Chacaltaya, Bolivia, 5300 m
a.s.l., Pico Espejo, Venezuela, 4750 m a.s.l., Sierra Negra, Mexico, 4650 m
a.s.l). This platform will allow LAGO collaboration to share data, and computer
resources through its different sites. This environment has the possibility to
generate synthetic data by simulating the showers through AIRES application and
to store/preserve distributed data files collected by the WCD at the LAGO
sites. The present article concerns the implementation of a prototype of
LAGO-DR adapting DSpace, with a hierarchical structure (i.e. country,
institution, followed by collections that contain the metadata and data files),
for the captured/simulated data. This structure was generated by using the
community, sub-community, collection, item model; available at the DSpace
software. Each member institution-country of the project has the appropriate
permissions on the system to publish information (descriptive metadata and
associated data files). The platform can also associate multiple files to each
item of data (data from the instruments, graphics, postprocessed-data, etc.).Comment: Second EELA-2 Conference Choroni, Venezuela, November 25th to 27th
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Cosmic ray short burst observed with the Global Muon Detector Network (GMDN) on June 22, 2015
We analyze the short cosmic ray intensity increase ("cosmic ray burst": CRB)
on June 22, 2015 utilizing a global network of muon detectors and derive the
global anisotropy of cosmic ray intensity and the density (i.e. the
omnidirectional intensity) with 10-minute time resolution. We find that the CRB
was caused by a local density maximum and an enhanced anisotropy of cosmic rays
both of which appeared in association with Earth's crossing of the heliospheric
current sheet (HCS). This enhanced anisotropy was normal to the HCS and
consistent with a diamagnetic drift arising from the spatial gradient of cosmic
ray density, which indicates that cosmic rays were drifting along the HCS from
the north of Earth. We also find a significant anisotropy along the HCS,
lasting a few hours after the HCS crossing, indicating that cosmic rays
penetrated into the inner heliosphere along the HCS. Based on the latest
geomagnetic field model, we quantitatively evaluate the reduction of the
geomagnetic cut-off rigidity and the variation of the asymptotic viewing
direction of cosmic rays due to a major geomagnetic storm which occurred during
the CRB and conclude that the CRB is not caused by the geomagnetic storm, but
by a rapid change in the cosmic ray anisotropy and density outside the
magnetosphere.Comment: accepted for the publication in the Astrophysical Journa
The importance of ultrasound findings in the study of anal pain
ABSTRACT
Objective: endoanal ultrasonography can detect organic causes
of anal pain without pathology on physical examination. The
aim of this study is to evaluate the importance of endoanal ultrasonography
in the diagnosis and therapeutic management of idiopathic
and functional anal pain.
Material and methods: retrospective study, between 15
March 2005 and 15 June 2008, of all patients with proctalgia
and normal examination or with alterations not responsible for
anal pain at proctologic exam that have undergone an endoanal
ultrasonography.
Results: a total of 90 patients were analyzed, with a mean
age of 50.5 years, 58% were female. Twenty-three patients had
functional anal pain clinic criteria. Endoanal ultrasonography revealed
alterations in 49% of patients. The primary findings were
changes in sphincters in 14 patients, followed by anal sepsis in 12
patients, anal fissure in 10 patients, perirectal lesions in 6 patients
and ulcer of the anal canal in 2 patients. Of the patients with
sphincter defects, 5 patients had criteria of chronic anal pain. In
this group of patients, no differences were found in manometric
and defecographic results between the different ultrasound abnormalities.
Conclusions: the endoanal ultrasonography detected occult
organic lesions to proctologic examination, in half the patients
with anal pain. Ultrasound abnormalities were found in 22% of
patients with functional anal pain. However, there was no correlation
between ultrasound findings and physiological studies, and
therefore could not find etiological or pathogenic factors of functional
anal pain
Sunflower and peanut emergency : initial development under sugarcane mulch.
The research aimed to evaluate the effect of residual sugarcane mulch on sunflower and peanut plant emergence and initial development. Vases of 4.0 L were disposed in a randomized experimental blocks design, with four replications, in a factorial arrangement of five mulch amounts and three cultivars of each crop. The mulch treatments consisted of four increasing amounts (5, 10, 15 e 20 t ha-1) and a tester with no mulch. The sunflower cultivars were the varieties IAC-iarama and Catissol and the hybrid H-358; the peanut cultivars were IAC-Caiapó, Runner 886 and Tatu. The speed emergency index and final percentage, the plant height and shoot dry mass were evaluated. The presence of different levels of sugarcane mulch negatively influences the emergency and initial plant development mainly in peanut but also in sunflower. The negative effects are stronger especially for the runner type of peanut cultivars, while cultivar Tatu was less influenced by the mulch thickness
From cosmic deceleration to acceleration: new constraints from SN Ia and BAO/CMB
We use type Ia supernovae (SN Ia) data in combination with recent baryonic
acoustic oscillations (BAO) and cosmic microwave background (CMB) observations
to constrain a kink-like parametrization of the deceleration parameter ().
This -parametrization can be written in terms of the initial () and
present () values of the deceleration parameter, the redshift of the
cosmic transition from deceleration to acceleration () and the redshift
width of such transition (). By assuming a flat space geometry,
and adopting a likelihood approach to deal with the SN Ia data we obtain, at
the 68% confidence level (C.L.), that: ,
and when we combine
BAO/CMB observations with SN Ia data processed with the MLCS2k2 light-curve
fitter. When in this combination we use the SALT2 fitter we get instead, at the
same C.L.: , and
. Our results indicate, with a quite general and
model independent approach, that MLCS2k2 favors Dvali-Gabadadze-Porrati-like
cosmological models, while SALT2 favors CDM-like ones. Progress in
determining the transition redshift and/or the present value of the
deceleration parameter depends crucially on solving the issue of the difference
obtained when using these two light-curve fitters.Comment: 25 pages, 9 figure
Setting conclitions, Petrology ancl Geochemistry of calc-alkaline rhyolites, stephanian-permian, in the iberian chains
[Resumen] Se exponen los caracteres del emplazamiento, la composición petrológica y geoquímica de unos sills riolíticos que, con afinidad calco-alcalina, se emplazaron, bajo un ambiente sin-colisional, en diversos sectores de la Cadena Ibérica. Estas riolitas representan un origen crustal, con baja tasa de fusión, previo a un magmatismo calco-alcalino de origen subcrustal.[Abstract] The setting characters, the petrological and geochemical composition are exposed for sorne rhyolitic sills, with calc-alkaline affinity, which were set, in a syncollisional environment, in several areas of the Iberian Chains. These rhyolites represent a crustal origin, with a low degree of fussion, previous to a calc-alkaline magmatism of subcrustal origino
Synchronizing Sequencing Software to a Live Drummer
Copyright 2013 Massachusetts Institute of Technology. MIT allows authors to archive published versions of their articles after an embargo period. The article is available at
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